The Syrian Future Movement is following with deep sorrow the incident that befell content creator Mr. Abdo Al-Doush in Aleppo on November 12, 2025. A group of individuals, impersonating security personnel, stopped him while he was riding a motorcycle and assaulted him verbally and physically. A traffic officer was present but did not intervene to protect him. Mr. Al-Doush recorded the incident on his camera and stated that the assailants were not affiliated with the state but were impersonating security forces.
The Syrian Future Movement warns that this incident is not isolated, as it clearly reveals a structural weakness in state institutions and security apparatuses, and a fragility in the rule of law, which is supposed to protect citizens, not threaten them.
This makes it imperative to issue a serious call for reforming security operations and ensuring their integrity and effectiveness.
The Syrian Future Movement observes the following:
- The unofficial authorization of this type of aggression leads to a breakdown of law and order, creating networks of activity outside the state’s control and placing citizens in a vulnerable position against groups that exercise their own security by impersonating official authorities.
- This situation necessitates a review of the organization of security operations within state institutions, ensuring that security is a matter of citizenship, not a tool of intimidation, and that the legal system is the sole guarantor of individual dignity and the right to protection.
- Several media reports confirm that the phenomenon of impersonating security personnel in Aleppo Governorate has recurred in recent months. At the beginning of 2025, a gang impersonating military personnel to kidnap citizens and extort their families was apprehended. In a proactive measure, the Syrian General Security Directorate announced in January 2025 the issuance of security cards and official warrants for any executive force to make arrests, in order to curb impersonation.
- The erosion of legal security has political and social dimensions. When citizens lose faith in the state’s ability to maintain order, citizenship is undermined, and chaos and extortion expand.
Based on the above, the Syrian Future Movement declares the following:
The incident in Aleppo is part of a broader institutional failure that requires urgent attention, not only in terms of security practices but also in rebuilding the legitimate state apparatus according to the principles of governance, transparency, and accountability.
Establishing the rule of law and state sovereignty requires that the security apparatus serve the citizen, not be an instrument of control or intimidation.
Therefore, efforts must be made to ensure that the tasks of the security services are clear, defined, and subject to effective civilian oversight.
The Syrian Future Movement calls for an independent judicial investigation into the incident involving Mr. Abdo al-Doush and for bringing those involved to justice, to guarantee the citizen’s right to protection and accountability, and to affirm that no one is above the law.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the necessity of publishing complete and clear texts outlining the mechanisms for security accreditation and authorization, so that citizens know who is legally authorized to act, and to put an end to the abuse of power and the practice of operating outside the legal framework.
The Syrian Future Movement calls for the establishment of a temporary security review committee, under the supervision of the civilian authority, to assess the security structures in all governorates, particularly in Aleppo, and to submit a public report within the next three months. This should be accompanied by broader training and development for security and police personnel on human rights principles, civic service, and community engagement, along with internal rehabilitation for those found to have committed abuses.
The Syrian Future Movement recommends enhancing transparency in the execution of arrest warrants or surveillance orders by requiring security forces to present clear identification or a judicial warrant during every arrest or search. It also recommends launching a public awareness campaign regarding citizens’ rights, particularly the right to document, photograph, and file complaints against abuses of power, and activating specialized channels for receiving and protecting reports. Furthermore, it recommends including a specific clause to combat “impersonating security personnel” within the national security strategy in the post-transition phase, ensuring deterrent penalties and the monitoring of these phenomena using clear and publicly available indicators.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that a modern state can only be established when authority serves the citizens, not opposes them. Protecting individual freedom and human dignity requires that the security apparatus be an alliance between the citizen and the state, and not a stronghold for outlaw elements. Therefore, the incident of Mr. Abdo Al-Doush in Aleppo should constitute a turning point towards a real state of institutions that honors the citizen, combats the phenomena of chaos and impersonation, and establishes a transitional phase that rebuilds Syria on the basis of justice, citizenship, and the rule of law.
